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The present invention relates to tobacco products, and more particularly to a cigar shell for xe2x80x9croll your ownxe2x80x9d tobacco products.
In recent years, smoking of cigars has become in vogue, and numerous cigar shops opened around the world to satisfy this growing trend. The variety, quality and size of ready-made cigars satisfy the majority of the public. However, a small segment of connoisseurs insist that nothing can compare with the taste and smell of custom-blended tobacco products. These knowledgeable individuals are very selective in the manner their cigars are rolled and in the grade of tobacco used.
A still smaller segment of cigar aficionados prefers to roll their own cigars. They buy tobacco leaves or cigar wrapping and use their preferred brand of crushed tobacco. Some people buy inexpensive cigars, cut them with a sharp blade along the side and carefully pry the cut cigar open. The innermost layers are then removed and substituted with a favorite brand of crushed tobacco, which may come from cigarettes or bulk tobacco blend. The user then brings the cut edges of the cigar together, closing the outer layers of the cigar over the xe2x80x9cstuffing.xe2x80x9d The edges are then sealed with a liquid or honey, and a new cigar is ready for a smoke.
Some reports indicate that the roll-your-own tobacco market is flourishing. In some countries, the roll-your-own products now hold a substantial share of the tobacco market, and their consumers represent more than 10% of the smoking population. This may be explained by the ability of a consumer to create a tailor-made product, as opposed to commercially available types of cigars.
A disadvantage of the existing method of making such custom-made cigars is that a consumer has to be skillful in the rolling of cigars, that is to have a certain finger dexterity, which would allow him to make the cigar shell without crushing the tobacco leaves. Inexperienced people often become frustrated when the finished product collapses because the cigar was not properly rolled.
The present invention contemplates provision of a tobacco product, or shell, for rolling a custom-made cigar and a method of making the shell.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a device for making a tobacco shell.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of making a shell suitable for use in rolling a custom-made cigar.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a shell for a custom-rolled cigar.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved through a provision of a shell that eliminates some steps in the making of a xe2x80x9croll-your-ownxe2x80x9d tobacco product. Wrapping moistened tobacco leaves around a cylindrical form casing forms the shell. The leaves are allowed to dry, and the shell is ready for sale to a consumer. After the form casing is removed, the consumer can fill the shell with a favorite blend of tobacco.
In one of the embodiments, a longitudinal slit is formed through a wall of the shell to allow prying open of the shell body and removal of the form casing. After crushed tobacco leaves are deposited into the central opening of the shell, the edges of the slit are moistened and brought together to seal the slit. A cigar is ready for smoking.